‘MASTERS OF THE AIR’: FIRST LOOK AT APPLE’S AMBITIOUS WORLD WAR II DRAMA FROM EXEC PRODUCERS STEVEN SPIELBERG AND TOM HANKS

 BY MIGUEL FERNANDEZ

Last week, Apple TV Plus unveiled its first look at one of their most anticipted series ever. Initially billed as the most expensive TV show in history (who knows if The Morning Show has already surpassed that threshold by now), Masters of the Air reunites the team behind Band of Brothers and The Pacific, which includes none other than Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks as executive producers, to tell another epic story from World War II.

In addition to revealing eight stills from the nine-episode series, the streamer announced the epic will start airing on Apple TV Plus on January 26, 2024, with a two-episode premiere. Gary Goetzman, who also executive produces the series, said in a statement:

 

 

 

“‘Masters of the Air’ is a salute to the brave men of the 8th Air Force, who, through their courage and brotherhood, helped defeat Nazi Germany in World War II. Tom [Hanks] and Steven [Spielberg] have always wanted to visualize cinematically what our author Don Miller has called, this ‘singular event in the history of warfare.’ We’re thrilled that Apple TV+ has given us the opportunity to combine the efforts of so many talented people, on-screen and behind the camera, to tell this important story.”

John Orloff wrote the series, of which Cary Fukunaga directed four episodes, even if the press release for the announcement made no mention of him in light of recent allegations of on-set abusive behavior to pursue younger women across his productions. While that is an important story in and of itself, it’s not the purpose of this specific article. If you are interested in learning more about the reported details on the case, I encourage you to read the two links above. And with that, we should move on.

According to Apple, the story follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.

The cast includes Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Nate Mann, Rafferty Law, Academy Award nominee Barry Keoghan, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, and Ncuti Gatwa.

https://www.movienewsnet.com/2023/10/09/masters-of-the-air-first-look/